


first winter

by my_middle_name_is_awkward



Series: Our Love is Like a Song [19]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Canon Compliant, Coda, Episode s04e13 Merry Christmas Johnny Rose, M/M, post 4x13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-30 21:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19036111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_middle_name_is_awkward/pseuds/my_middle_name_is_awkward
Summary: Even though he wasn’t going home, he still felt at home with David and his family.





	first winter

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I wasn't going to post this one since it's really not the right time for it, but I really want to post these in order. So, I guess you can just call me the Hallmark channel because I'm bringing you Christmas in (almost) June! This one is so cheesy it hurts!
> 
> No beta as per usual!
> 
> This one is based on First Winter by Wrabel. It's such an adorable song and I think it works perfectly for David and Patrick!

_ Just like home, not alone, winter’s not so blue. My first winter with you _

Patrick nearly jumped out of his skin when David burst through the door and announced, “I guess we’re doing Christmas now!” Patrick looked over at the customer standing across the counter from him, an apologetic on his face. 

“Sorry about him,” He smiled and the woman smiled in return. 

“No worries, I know how stressful the holidays can be!” She chirped as Patrick handed her a tote bag filled with her items, all clearly last minute Christmas gifts. “Thank you so much for your help,”

“Of course,” Patrick smiled. “Merry Christmas,”

“Merry Christmas, boys!” She called as she exited, but David paid her no mind, he was too busy rushing around the store and putting various decorations in a box. 

Once the door shut behind the woman, Patrick moved out from behind the counter, a bemused smile on his face. “Maybe try not scaring the customers on Christmas,”

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” David groaned, not even glancing at him. 

“So, what made you change your mind about Christmas? Did the ghost of Christmas Past already visit you?”

“Oh, ha ha,” David glowered at him, stopping his rummaging for a moment to turn towards Patrick. 

“Wait, was it the ghost of Christmas Present already? Damn, they work fast,”

“You think you’re cute, don’t you?” David rolled his eyes.

“Just a little,” Patrick smirked. “So, tell me why the change of heart,”

“You should have seen my dad’s face when I showed up with the box of Stevie’s grandma’s old decorations,” David winced. “And then Alexis said she wasn’t even going to come to the party. And oh my god, he released the tree and it just completely fell apart,” David sighed. “Then he went to the café and my mom said we all needed to step it up,” David gestured to the box filled with decorations. “So, this is me stepping it up,”

“That’s very nice of you, David,” Patrick smiled. 

“I’m not sure why he’s making this such a big deal. It’s not like we ever spent much time together on Christmas. There were so many people at those parties that we barely saw each other. Alexis and I would get our Christmas checks and we would leave,” 

“Maybe that’s why he wants to do this,” Patrick suggested. 

“What do you mean?”

“David, I think he’s just excited about the idea of spending Christmas with you guys as a family since you were never that close before,”

David started at Patrick for a moment before letting out a groan. “Damnit, you’re right.” Patrick grinned. “And now that means I have to do an even better job with these decorations.”

“And I will help you with anything you need,”

“That’s good because I’ll need all the help I can get gluing that tree back together,”

“I wouldn’t want to spend my night any other way,”

David’s nose wrinkled as Patrick leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. “I could think of one hundred other things to do tonight that would be so much more fun,”

“Not to me,” Patrick moved so he was nuzzling David’s neck. “I can’t wait to spend Christmas Eve with you and your family,”

“And whoever Alexis manages to guilt into coming,”

“Well, of course,”

David chuckled. “Are we still good to exchange gifts tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Patrick said, pulling back. “Did you stick to our rules?”

David rolled his eyes. “Yes. Your gift was under twenty dollars,”

“Hey, you agreed we shouldn’t go overboard because we’re saving for the espresso machine,”

“I know, I know,” David sighed, making Patrick smile. “But you should keep in mind that you have already set a pretty high bar for gift giving, so you better bring it,” Patrick laughed. 

“Oh, I think I brought it,” David hummed, eyes flickering down to Patrick’s lips before closing the gap between them. 

A few weeks ago, Patrick had made the decision to not go home for the holidays. He blamed it on the fact that he was worried about the store being super busy and leaving David to deal with it, but he knew it was a lot more than that.

He had been telling himself that he would come out to his parents as soon as he saw them in person, so of course, he just decided to push off seeing them in person. 

His parents had been upset when he told them he was staying in Schitt’s Creek for Christmas, but they both said that they understood, which broke Patrick’s heart in two. He hated lying to his parents, but he didn’t think he was ready to face them. He liked living in this bubble with David, safe and loved while not having to think about his parents viewing him differently after he told them the truth. David was a welcome distraction. 

Patrick was perfectly content to go along with David’s plan for a low key Christmas. They had set the rules for the gift exchange and had figured out that they would just do drinks on Christmas Eve, but then Mr. Rose got swept up in the Christmas magic, and here they were. 

If he was being honest, Patrick was happy that it had taken a turn. He knew that deep down, David wanted to have an actual celebration again and not just brush off all of the festivities. He was relieved to see that David had stopped being grumpy about the whole situation and was now embracing it to make his dad happy. 

He was delighted to spend David’s first real Christmas after his family lost everything with him. He was even more delighted to spend their first Christmas together in the same town.

Even though he wasn’t going home, he still felt at home with David and his family.  

\---

_ Merry Christmas, Mom! I’ll call you guys later tonight! I love you! _

Merry Christmas, sweetheart! We love you too!

Hope you aren’t spending today alone!

_ Don’t worry, I’m not. David invited me to spend the day with his family. Originally it was just going to be a small dinner with some friends, but David’s dad ended up getting really into the Christmas spirit. We’re celebrating with a lot of the town _

How sweet of David to invite you! And I’m glad you are having fun, even if it means we don’t get to see you

_ I’m sorry, Mom. I just didn’t want to leave David high and dry for the holidays. We weren’t sure how busy we would be.  _

We understand!

I’m just so glad that you found your place in Schitt’s Creek. I was worried about you after the breakup

_ I know, Mom. And I’m glad I found my place too. I was meant to be here _

That makes me so happy, Patrick.

_ Hey, I’ve got to go. Mr. Rose is about to walk in. I’ll call you guys later _

Looking forward to it! Have fun, sweetheart!

\---

David’s up earlier than normal on Christmas and he hates it. 

His dad had walked into his and Alexis’ room and told them to get up, though neither of them was really inclined to do so. He kept going on and on about how they needed to get out of bed so they could start Christmas off right. Finally, David relented, knowing that his dad wouldn’t stop until at least one of them got up to shower. 

“Consider this your Christmas gift,” David muttered to his sister, who snuggled happily back into her blankets. 

“Hmmm, thanks, David!” She mumbled as David stalked into the bathroom, trying to ignore the fact that his father was actually singing Christmas carols. Who the fuck had he become?

Once David had showered and dressed, he wasted no time telling his family he needed the car. 

“And just where do you think you’re off to?” His mother questioned icily. “It’s Christmas, it’s the time for family,” 

“Well, you’ve certainly changed your tune,” David deadpanned. “And if you must know, I’m going to Patrick’s. We’re exchanging gifts,”

“Just have Patrick come here!” His dad suggested, eyes bright.

“Um, no thanks,” David said, grabbing the keys off the table in his parents’ room. “We already had to change our plans last night because of the party.”

“But David, it’s Christmas,” Alexis called from their room. 

“Like you weren’t going to go to Ted’s later,”

Eventually, he was able to convince his family that he would be back later, and with Patrick’s gift in hand, he left the motel. Outside, the air was bitter and cold, making relief flow through him about getting to the car first. Walking to Patrick’s would have been torture. 

When he arrived, he was surprised to see that Ray’s car wasn’t out front. Hadn’t he just been here yesterday?

He asks Patrick once the door is pulled open. David walked into the house, Patrick shutting the door behind him and then reaching out to take David’s coat. 

“Ray left this morning,” Patrick explained. “He went to visit family in Elm Valley. He would have left earlier but he had to sell trees,”

“How many businesses does he have?” Patrick laughed. 

“Too many,” Patrick took the break in the conversation to greet David with a kiss. “You’re here earlier than I expected,”

“Well, my dad woke me up because he’s still riding the Christmas high,”

“To be fair, it’s still Christmas,”

“Yes, but again, he has no authority over Christmas,”

“Just let him have his fun,”

“You and your sleep,” Patrick chuckled. “Not when it means me waking up before noon,”

“What would you have done if you had gone into business with someone who needed you at the store before ten?”

“I would never get into business with someone like that,” Something flickered in David’s eyes. “I would only get into business with you,”

Patrick smiled. “How sweet,”

“I know,” David smirked. “Now, shall we open presents and then spend the rest of the day watching old Christmas movies?”

“Only if we can drink hot chocolate during the movies,”

“Well, that’s a given,” David smiled, scratching at Patrick’s shoulder. “Do you want to open yours first?”

“No, I want you to open yours first,” Patrick explained, pulling David to the couch. On the coffee table sat a small box wrapped perfectly. “If I don’t give it to you now, I might lose my nerve,”

David raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh really?” They were now both seated on the couch, turned so that they were facing each other. 

Patrick simply sighed and handed the box to David. “You’re very good at wrapping,” David observed, making Patrick chuckle. 

“Thank you. I always helped my mom wrap presents, so I got very good at it,”

“It paid off,” David smiled. He started pulling at the tape on the bottom of the box and trying to unwrap the present as neatly as he could. Once the wrapping paper was disposed of, he pulled the top of the box off to reveal a thumb drive sitting inside. 

“I recorded a bunch of covers of your favorite songs and put them on there, so it’ll be easy to transfer them to your phone,” Patrick said softly and David’s mouth fell open. “You mentioned how much you liked hearing me sing, so I made it easier for you.” Patrick cleared his throat awkwardly. “It’s a little weird, but we set the budget-“

“It’s perfect,” David breathed, finally looking up at Patrick, not even caring about how puffy his eyes must look. “Thank you,” Patrick’s cheeks were dusted pink and it made David feel warm inside. 

“Now I can sing you to sleep when you don’t stay over,” 

“Shut up,” David grumbled, but Patrick just laughed at him. 

“Okay, my turn,” Patrick said, obviously wanting to shift the attention off of his gift, but now David was feeling self-conscious about his gift. Patrick had poured so much work into his gift and he hadn’t done nearly enough. It was going to look like he didn’t love Patrick as much as Patrick loves him, and he never wanted Patrick to feel like that. 

“Um, actually, I decided that my gift to you is really lame, so-” David went to grab the present to pull it out of Patrick’s reach, but Patrick was one step ahead of him. Patrick was pulling the gift towards him, and David was trying to pull it back, reminding him of when they had done the same thing on David’s birthday, but it was reversed. 

“David, I’m sure I’ll love it,”

“You have no way of knowing that-” Patrick finally got David to release his grip and David sighed. “It’s stupid. Your gift to me was so much better,”

“David, it’s not a competition,”

“Isn’t it, though?”

“Nope,” Patrick chuckled. “It’s about giving someone you love a gift to show how much you care,” David felt his heart leap into his throat, just as it always did when Patrick used the L word in reference to their relationship. “Now, can I open this beautifully wrapped present?”

David sighed. “Fine, but lower your expectations,”

Patrick rolled his eyes and pulled the tissue paper out of the gift bag. David watched nervously as he pulled out the frame David had found in a craft store in Elmdale. It was a large black frame, perfect for a wall hanging. Inside the frame was the flyer from their first open mic night. David had snuck one home that night after Patrick’s lovely performance, and it had been hidden under his bed ever since, just waiting to be used for something. 

When they had agreed to set a budget for their gift exchange, David had the idea immediately. He knew it was stupid and sappy, but when he had received the framed receipt for his birthday, he had felt a warmth spread through him. He wanted to make Patrick feel like that too. 

“I, um,” David cleared his throat as Patrick continued to stare at the frame. “I figured you needed something from our relationship to be framed since I have the receipt from our first sale, and I kept the flyer from the first open mic night.” David shifted uncomfortably. “I thought that it would be good to frame it because, um, that was the night I realized I was in love with you,”

Patrick’s head snapped up and David was shocked to see tears in his boyfriend’s eyes. “David,” Patrick’s voice was soft and it sparked something within David. 

“I know it’s really cheesy, but I really feel like that night was a turning point for us,” David swallowed past the lump in his throat, “for me,” He added.  

“David, I love it,” A tear slipped down Patrick’s cheek and he smiled as he wiped it away. “And I love you,” Patrick looked down at the frame once more and laughed. When he glanced back at David, there was a teasing smile on his face. “This is a solid frame,”

“Thank you, I know,”

Patrick let out a watery laugh and David couldn’t help but smile. Patrick was actually crying at the gift he had given him. He had moved Patrick so much that he was in tears. 

Damnit, now he was crying. 

“Why are you crying?” Patrick croaked and David sniffled, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. 

“I’m just really happy,” David shrugged. “And I love that you love your gift, and I love that you recorded me a bunch of songs, and I love you so much,”

Patrick placed the frame beside him on the couch so his hands were free to cup David’s face. He stared at him for a moment, not saying a word, and then Patrick leaned in and kissed him gently, allowing David to sink into him. 

“Merry Christmas, David,” Patrick murmured against his lips. 

“Merry Christmas, Patrick,”

“The first of many,” Patrick smiled, leaning his forehead against David’s.

“It’s a good thing that there seems to be an endless amount of memorabilia from our relationship we can frame for each other,” David joked.

“It is a good thing,” Patrick grinned. “We’ll always have some sort of framed gift for each other,”

They kissed once more before Patrick extracted himself from David’s grip to go and make hot chocolate, giving David a moment to catch his breath, both literally and figuratively. 

He really hoped this was just the first winter with Patrick. He could get used to this. 


End file.
